Book Review: Mobile Mania
- harrybuckley49
- Jun 20, 2020
- 3 min read
This book written by my late Uncle, Simon Silvester in 2010 and explains how mobile phones are becoming as useful as computers but better in 122 pages. I will be reading and reviewing this book to understand the main takeaways of 'Mobile Mania' and to see how it compares to current attitudes towards mobile phones.
The first main point I took from the book is that the biggest thing happening at the moment (2010) is not social networking. It is the shift to computing on mobile phones. Simon claims that 'putting computing power into such a small device is likely to change computing out of all recognition'. This indicated that mobile phones are continuing to develop computer-like functionalities whilst being handheld. Allowing the user to have more control and a better experience with a mobile phone.
The next interesting thing I read was that at the time of the internet boom in the late nineties, there were around 200 million computers connected to the internet. Today (2010), there are already around 3.5 billion people with mobile phones which was around half the planet's population. Simon suggests that the mobile phone computing boom could be the biggest in history. This point indicates that computers and laptops may become obsolete as mobile phones may pack the same power as computers, therefore rendering them useless?
An interesting point is that Simon believes that the shape of the future will come from studying the 'teen society'. The reason why is that 'the teens of today are the adults of tomorrow'. This suggests that by monitoring what today's teens do via their digital footprint, you can understand what will happen in the future regarding mobile phone usage and technology.
Probably the most spot-on point Simon addresses is the development and use of cloud computing. He suggests that in the future, everyone will rely on cloud-based computing to help make their lives easier. This is exactly how the people of today operate and for him to predict this consumer trend was very clever. The book expresses the negatives of the cloud, like safety and privacy for example which has been a major issue over the last 5 years.
Another up-to-date observation in the book is that traditional media is dying and now is the time for the mobile phone to shine through. The book mentions that Newspapers, TV and direct mail marketing methods are all failing which will pave a way for mobile phone marketing to flourish.
Yet another astute observation in the book is that loyalty schemes on mobile phones will become powerful in the next few years. We have seen the increase in brand loyalty apps recently allowing customers incentives for shopping at their store.

The book implies that the mobile phones will revolutionize medicine as the mobile phone becomes a nerve centre for health and fitness monitoring. With GPS, your phone can track the distances you are walking, fitness apps can monitor heart rate, speed etc. Thanks to the development of Google, more people are going online to enquire about bodily issues that they are experiencing than ever before. Since, the release of the book, the mobile phone medicine/health app store has exponentially grown which proves the point theorised by Simon.
The use of currency and finance was highlighted in the book as a huge benefit of mobile phones. They would allow users from all backgrounds instant access to their bank accounts allowing for a more convenient and easier use of their time. This analysis in the book pre-dates the time when money was transferable on phones which demonstrates a great understanding on the market at the time.
One of the most stressed points in the book is that people should be aware of constant GPS tracking and how in the future, people should think carefully about the implications of everyone sharing their movements via GPS and personal details. This has become common thinking amongst many people, especially parents about their childrens online presence.
This book is 10 years old and I am flabbergasted by the expert analysis of mobile phones by Simon. So much has happened in 10 years and pretty much all of the points he has mentioned in 'Mobile Mania' has become true. It really is a shame that he died when he did because I would undoubtedly be sure that we would be one of the top marketers in Britain.
Rest In Peace Simon.
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